The Correlation Between Head Nurses' Critical Thinking And Leadership In A-grade Tertiary Hospitals

ObjectivesThrough a cross-sectional survey of the head nurses' critical thinking ability and leadership in 11 A-grade tertiary hospitals,the present situation of the head nurses'critical thinking and leadership was understood,and the correlation between the head nurses' critical thinking ability and leadership was discussed,so as to help hospital managers to have better predictability in the selection of head nurses,job matching and competency training.This study also can help hospital managers have more unique and objective head nurses' management positions in the selection of evaluation methods and tools which can improve head nurses' critical thinking ability and leadership level.MethodThis study is a descriptive study which conducts a questionnaire survey on the head nurse's critical thinking and leadership by using a convenient sampling method.The head nurses' critical thinking ability are evaluated by themselves.The questionnaire includes general demographic data questionnaire and Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory-Chinese Version(CTDI-CV)revised by Peng Meici et al.Head nurse's leadership assessment are conducted by four nurses who are directly led by head nurse.The questionnaire includes general demographic data questionnaire and head nurse leadership evaluation questionnaire revised by Huang Chunmei et al.t.Data statistics and analysis are carried out by SPSS20.0 software package.Results1.The total score of head nurses' critical thinking ability was(308.76±35.90).The average score of each dimension from high to low was inquisitiveness(46.81 ±5.31),analyticity(46.76±4.18),open-mindness(44.00±4.98),critical thinking self-confidence(43.84±5.32),systematicity(43.8±4.92),cognitive maturity(42.73 ± 5.48),truth-seeking(40.82±5.66).2.According to the results of the total number and composition ratio of critical thinking,only 12 head nurses(5.5%)with strong critical thinking ability had the lowest proportion.The results of the number and proportion of people scored from each dimension show that the proportion of head nurses who have the trait of truth-seeking is the lowest.3.There was no statistical difference in the total score of critical thinking ability among head nurses of different ages,working years,department categories,nurses,head nurses' management years,first degree,highest degree and professional titles(P>0.05);Head nurses with the management years of "6?10 years" scored was higher in the dimension of truth-seeking than those with the management years of"6 months?5 years" and "more than 10 years"(P<0.05).4.The total score of head nurses' leadership perceived by nurses was(198.06±30.77).The average score of each dimension from high to low was inspiring power(4.63±0.65),decisiveness(4.56±0.70),influence(4.55±0.68),control power(4.47±0.77),prospective(4.43±0.79)and affinity(4.40±0.80).5.There were significant differences in the total leadership scores of head nurses with different professional titles and marital status(P<0.05).There were no significant differences in the total leadership scores of head nurses with different ages,length of service,Department categories,head nurses' management years,first and highest education levels(P>0.05).According to the results that the leadership scores of head nurses with different professional titles and marriages were further compared,The leadership scores of head nurses with the title of chief nurse were higher than those of head nurses with the title of nurse.The leadership scores of married head nurses were higher than those of unmarried head nurses.There was no statistical significance in the leadership scores of head nurses in other groups were different.6.The head nurses' critical thinking ability and its dimensions scores were positively correlated with head nurses' leadership and its dimensions(r=0.191-0.383,P<0.01).7.Taking the dimension of the head nurses' critical thinking ability as dependent variable,the leadership dimensions of head nurses were analyzed by regression analysis.It indicated that the analyticity of head nurses' critical thinking ability had a positive predictive effect on each dimension of head nurses' leadership.Conclusions1 Head nurses of A-grade tertiary hospitals show positive characteristics in critical thinking ability and its seven dimensions,but fail to meet the criteria of strong critical thinking ability,especially in the dimension of truth-seeking which needs further improvement.2 Head nurses' leadership level is above average;head nurses' affinity score is the lowest in all dimensions,which needs to be further improved.3 Head nurses' critical thinking ability were significantly positively correlated with head nurses' leadership,indicating that the higher the head nurses' critical thinking ability score,the higher the head nurses' leadership score.Systematic analysis ability dimension of head nurses' critical thinking ability has a positive predictive effect on each dimension of head nurses' leadership.